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Religion in Roman Egypt Paperback – December 15, 2000

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

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This exploration of cultural resilience examines the complex fate of classical Egyptian religion during the centuries from the period when Christianity first made its appearance in Egypt to when it became the region's dominant religion (roughly 100 to 600 C.E. Taking into account the full range of witnesses to continuing native piety--from papyri and saints' lives to archaeology and terracotta figurines--and drawing on anthropological studies of folk religion, David Frankfurter argues that the religion of Pharonic Egypt did not die out as early as has been supposed but was instead relegated from political centers to village and home, where it continued a vigorous existence for centuries.


In analyzing the fate of the Egyptian oracle and of the priesthoods, the function of magical texts, and the dynamics of domestic cults, Frankfurter describes how an ancient culture maintained itself while also being transformed through influences such as Hellenism, Roman government, and Christian dominance. Recognizing the special characteristics of Egypt, which differentiated it from the other Mediterranean cultures that were undergoing simultaneous social and political changes, he departs from the traditional "decline of paganism/triumph of Christianity" model most often used to describe the Roman period. By revealing late Egyptian religion in its Egyptian historical context, he moves us away from scenarios of Christian triumph and shows us how long and how energetically pagan worship survived.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Winner of the 1999 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, Historical Studies category, of the American Academy of Religion"

"Frankfurter presents a new and convincing analysis of the history of religious change in Roman and early Byzantine Egypt. . . . This new synthesis of the available evidence constitutes a real breakthrough in our understanding of the religious changes in late ancient Egypt attending its Christianization."
---Birger A. Pearson, Religious Studies Review

"An exemplary work, engagingly written, which will be of interest not only to students of late antiquity, early Christianity, and Egypt but to anyone concerned with issues of religious change and practice."
---Jonathan P. Berkey, American Historical Review

"Where it has been usual to focus on the decay of grand temple religion, Frankfurter argues that this is only one side of the matter. There remained a lively practice of popular and local religion. . . . The book overflows with ideas and insights."
---Richard Gordon, Times Literary Supplement

"Stimulating in the very best sense of that word: its thickly packed details and formulations reward readers not only with the insights of its author, but with material that often prompts them to travel down new paths of though themselves."
---Sarah Iles Johnston, Journal of Biblical Literature

"This ambitious book rewards the specialist and nonspecialist alike with a rich overview of Egyptian religion in late antiquity within a comparative religion framework. . . . Frankfurter's refreshing synthesis of religion and magic both rewards and illumines the reader. His dexterity with such a diversity of visual, material, and textual evidence is a hallmark of this erudite book. . . . Generously illustrated and clearly organized, this thought provoking study has set a benchmark for future work on religion in the ancient Mediterranean."
---Georgia Frank, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"This ambitious book rewards the specialist and nonspecialist alike with a rich overview of Egyptian religion in late antiquity within a comparative religion framework. . . . Frankfurter's refreshing synthesis of religion and magic both rewards and illumines the reader. His dexterity with such a diversity of visual, material, and textual evidence is a hallmark of this erudite book. . . . Generously illustrated and clearly organized, this thought-provoking study has set a benchmark for future work on religion in the ancient Mediterranean."
---Georgia Frank, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Review

"Popular religion is at the center of this excellent study. Frankfurter places Christianity in a multifaceted, often unexpected context in the countryside of Egypt. He shows that despite the state's new religion, Egyptian gods, goddesses, and cultic practices persisted. The result is a thoroughly stimulating book―-an unusual mix of erudition and interpretation―and one which I read with great pleasure."―Dorothy J. Thompson, Girton College, Cambridge

"Clearly written and well-researched, [Frankfurter's] book is accessible to a wide audience of scholars and lay people alike."
―J. G. Manning, Stanford University

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; New Ed edition (December 15, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691070547
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691070544
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.76 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

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David Frankfurter
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2014
    Frankfurter's book takes you through religious expression in Roman Egypt up until the time of the Christian conversion. He demonstrates that paganism wasn't in decline in Egypt at the time, as is popularly assumed, but that it rather assumed different forms, move from temple-centered to more individual-centered.

    The book is a little dry, but it's worth it, especially when Frankfurter starts evaluating the sources that have come down to us. Many of the popular sources from this time are Christian or otherwise non-Egyptian in nature, so the bias surrounding Egypt at this time period becomes clear.

    I love everything about ancient Egypt, from the time of Menes until the Christian conversion, and anyone who feels the same way will want to have this book on their shelf.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2022
    There are four main themes of "Religion in Roman Egypt":

    Syncretism: The blending of different religious beliefs and practices, particularly the fusion of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian religious traditions in Roman Egypt.

    Popular religion: The importance of local cults and deities in the everyday lives of ordinary people, as opposed to the more formalized and institutionalized religions of the elites.

    Pluralism: The coexistence of multiple religious traditions and the tolerance of diverse beliefs within Roman society.

    The role of the state: The relationship between the Roman state and religious practices, including the role of the state in regulating and promoting certain religions and the tensions that arose between the state and religious groups.

    A few conclusions of the book include:

    Roman Egypt was a religiously diverse and dynamic society, with a mix of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian deities and cults.

    Syncretism was a common feature of religion in Roman Egypt, with many people adopting elements from multiple traditions.

    The Roman state played a significant role in shaping religious practices in the region, but also faced challenges from religious groups that resisted state interference.

    Despite the diversity of religious beliefs in Roman Egypt, there was a high level of tolerance and coexistence among different groups.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2014
    I leveraged this for my master's thesis on Egyptian funerary writings and did not find another author with a better treatment of the topic.
    Obviously a book for those with a specific topical interest, not casual reading.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2016
    Excellent
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2014
    A polemical work countering the widespread assumptions that Egyptian religion became corrupted by Greco-Roman influence and then simply died out when Christianity seemed to offer something "better". It also takes issue with Roger Bagnall's Egypt in Late Antiquity, which implies that Egyptian religion stopped being practiced because its temples ran out of funds, a process that began even before Christianity made inroads in Egypt. Although he doesn't dispute that conclusion, Frankfurter points out that religion is more than just temple worship and argues that religious practices continued long after many priesthoods had run out of money.

    Frankfurter focuses on local society in villages and midsize towns. Because he doesn't study Christianity in Egypt per se and barely discusses the more Hellenized and Christianized populace in major cities like Alexandria, one scholarly reviewer suggested the book would better have been called Traditional Local Religion in Roman Egypt. Frankfurter says popular religious traditions were highly durable and that in order to succeed, Christianity had to adapt to meet the same popular needs that native religion had met. It generally wasn't a conscious decision; there was only so much that Christianity could change about the local culture. Temple priests became community magicians before being supplanted by Christian holy men who offered a similar range of services. Ancient gods were gradually and haphazardly replaced in spells by Jesus and the angels. Traditional deities, once thought of as largely beneficent but ultimately unpredictable, were thrown decisively into the age-old category of "demon", whereupon Christian saints took over their space as patrons of local shrines. It's a vivid religious landscape.

    Unfortunately, it's also massively flawed, and the more I read of other scholars' work on the subject, the worse it looks. Frankfurter's main sources are biographies of saints (hagiographies) that tell stories about mobs of monks destroying temples and having dramatic confrontations with local pagans. These sources are often very unreliable, and Frankfurter not only fails to account for their biases but sometimes interprets them to say things they don't in support of his argument. His book was sometimes lauded when it came out, but scholarly opinion since then seems to grow ever more scathing. Alan Cameron's essay in Egypt in the Byzantine World and the seventh chapter of Following Osiris examine Frankfurter's evidence much more carefully.

    More reliable evidence shows that temples were not usually shut down by force, and it was very rare for a temple to be sacked and converted into a church all at once. This point is made in Philae and the End of Egyptian Religion, which uses Philae and Aswan as a case study for Egypt, and in two collections of studies that examine the Roman Empire in general: From Temple to Church and especially The Archaeology of Late Antique 'Paganism'. Isis on the Nile shows that the Hellenization of Egyptian religion was not nearly as superficial as Frankfurter claims, though the evidence there strengthens his broader point about the adaptability of tradition.

    I still give the book three stars because it contains some valuable nuggets of insight, like the general idea that Christianity adapted to meet local needs, or the relationship between country magicians and the urbanized populace of Egypt or the Roman Empire as a whole. Its flaws mean it shouldn't be read on its own, only in combination with more reliable studies of the same topic.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • m.mascia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2016
    Great service. Highly recommended.